After Sam’s lecture, my view on the war in the Middle East has changed. Before the lecture, I haven’t thought about the issue in the Muslim’s point of view. Actually, I haven’t thought much about the issue at all, I didn’t have much opinion about it. I just thought that the Muslims are the violent terrorists. However, after the lecture, I got to know better of the issue and became more interested in it. When Sam told us to imagine that China was invading the classroom for coal, I could truly put myself in the Islam’s shoe, and understand them fully. It was surprising to me to realize that how Islam would think about the U.S. Of course, the U.S. would have other reasons for going on a war, other than oil. I believe it is a much more complicated issue than just oil. But still in the Iraq point of view, those would be just excuses to justify and rationalize the war, and the U.S. will be just the people who are taking away their oil, in the name of Christians. It was really surprising to me to notice that now. It was surprising to me to realize how narrow minded I was, to think that the Muslims are narrow minded. If I were in their shoe, I would be really mad, maybe more sad than mad, and I would feel helpless. The U.S. is so much richer and has so much more power, and the Middle East are so much poorer. The Muslims would feel helpless just to watch people take away their resource, because they don’t have the power to develop and use it, or even keep it from others. Then a question came across my mind: is that what really is happening? Is the U.S. really just going there and killing people and taking oil? I couldn’t understand why the U.S. would do such thing. Why would they just invade and kill innocent people and just take away the oil. Then how is that different from robbing? If the U.S. needed oil, couldn’t they get oil by a more decent and legal way from them, than just taking away with the army? I couldn’t understand why the U.S. should do such thing because they are more decent and educated individuals. Everyone knows that one shouldn’t just take something that is not yours. Why would they do as a country something that they wouldn’t do as individuals? The lecture really did change my view point on the war in the middle east and made me think more about the issue.

Also, that the media focus too much when something similar happens. Since the victims have seen so many previous examples focusing on the victims' miserble after-events lives before, the silenced victims would not be able to step up and speak out what they have gone through. There must be an environment that encourge the victims to speak out in a way that would be able to keep their privacies.

I have not dealt with this kind of problem personally so far, so I would not know what exactly an abused victiom needs to speak out. However, through my indirect learning and experiencing, what most helps those kinds of victims is showing how much they are cared by their friends and family, even people invovled in their environments. The reason why the victims have had hard times to overcome their horrible experiences and kept excluded themselves from the society is that they still live in those horrible memories and think that everybody would treat her like that or treat different from what it used to before the events. They must feel confomrtable and cared by close people before they speak out. People around them should show them the support and encourage them to feel like there is always someone supporting you and standing there for them regardless of any kind of situation.

To the question ‘does money really not equal happiness?’ I would say no it doesn’t. I don’t think that money equals happiness. You can totally be happy without money, depending on how you set your mind. Even if you do not have a lot of money, you can appreciate with what you already have and be happy. On the other hand, even if you have a lot of money, you can still want more and more, and not be happy. It depends on your way of thinking. To me, happiness is much more trivial things in my daily life: phone call from my parents, talking with friends, end of an exam, hot shower, feeling that I am being loved, cup of starbucks coffee, doing nothing and just relaxing and watching TV, cooking, baking, eating my favorite food, eating chocolate, being warm inside my bed when it is freezing outside, traveling to new places, walking around the campus etc. There are more important things than money in order to be happy like love, family and true friends. If you are a billionaire but have no family and no friends, it would be very lonely.
However, I do think there is somewhat relation in money and happiness. I think having more money is better than having less money. There is nothing bad if you have more money. There are so many reason why having more money is better. First, with more money, you can live a more abundant life. You wouldn’t have to worry or be stressed about spending money. I don’t want to live my life worrying about money and being stingy. With more money, you can buy a better house, better car, better clothes, eat better food etc. You can even change your appearance by getting a plastic surgery. The ugly truth is that the way others think about you can change depending on how much money you have. Also, it would be easier make others fall in love with you. Some people might think that that is loving for their money, but I think wealth is just one of the characteristics of a person same as appearance or personality. In addition, you can be a more giving person if you have a lot of money. If you don’t have enough money to spend for your own in your daily life, you can’t give to others. Moreover, you get more opportunities if you have more money. You can travel around the world, or study abroad. There are a lot of people that didn’t have an opportunity to travel overseas even once, because they aren’t affluent enough. Money doesn’t equal happiness; it is not the sole factor for happiness. But it does make your life more abundant and happier.

Should immigrants have to speak English? I don’t think that immigrants have to speak English, but I think it is recommended that they would learn English just for their own benefit. If the immigrants are totally fine and are comfortable without speaking English, I think it is fine with others as well; no one would force the immigrants to speak English. However, if they don’t know any English, I think they will feel uncomfortable in their daily lives, for example, when ordering food at the restaurant or shopping at a grocery store. It is themselves that won’t get the benefits they should. For example, when they want to complain for something, if they don’t know how to speak English, they will have a hard time trying to say what they want to. It would be very frustrating. There won’t always be a translator for them. I think it will be much more comfortable for them if they can speak English. It will also be much easier for them to get a job in the United States if they knew English. I have seen and heard who lived in America for almost 10 years but couldn’t speak any English at all. That can happen if they live in a area where a lot of people from the same country live in the same area and form their own society. If they were going to speak their own language, hang out with their own race only, why would they come to America. Immigrants would have their own reasons for moving in to America, but I think a part of it is about learning the different culture and language. I don’t think that learning English doesn’t mean giving up their own culture, or who they are. They can still be themselves, and speak English also. So why would they not learn English? They can experience a broader world if they speak English in the United States. They can talk and meet more people and learn more things. I am not an immigrant here, but I come from a country that doesn’t speak English. I have learned English before I came here, and I am still trying to speak learn more English. I think it is really cool to talk to people of different nationality than mine. I think it is cool that the culture and the perception of people is different. So I think it will be beneficial for the immigrants if they learn English. However, I think that whether to learn English is totally up to them, and if they feel comfortable without speaking English and don’t want to learn English for some reason they don’t have to.

I believe that race do have an influence on your decision of using illicit drugs, though it might not be the sole factor of influence. I believe race plus the environment you grew up in mostly determines the drug usage. I am an Asian. I grew up in a country that is very conservative and not diverse. In my home country, drugs are very expensive and difficult to get, and they are considered really bad. Doing drugs is a big issue in my home country. It does not mean that people do not do drugs; there are still people that do them. However, it becomes a big issue when they get caught. Some celebrities get arrested and go on the news for doing drugs, even for smoking weed. Also, the drug usage rate among students is extremely low compared to here. I believe that the percentage of high school and college students that do drugs in my home country is close to zero. The students that are exposed to drugs are only those that study abroad like myself. Here, I have friends that do drugs. I hear a lot of positive things about drugs from them, how it feels, and how it is better than drinking alcohol or smoking. When I hear those things, I become very curious, but still I know that I won’t do drugs. Not because I think badly about drugs, but because of who I am. If my family and friends in my home country found out that I do drugs, I know that they will be disappointed at me. However, if I were a different race, for example white or hispanic, I think things would have been a lot different. I would have been much more exposed to drugs, and people surrounding me would be much more open to it. I know that it is much more common thing in the U.S., it is even legal now in California. If I was not Asian, and grew up in a society where drugs are such a common thing, and surrounded by peers who do drugs, I think I probably would have tried it. Once I talked about drugs with a friend who is Asian American and grew up in the U.S. for his entire life. He said that if I were white, he would have definitely recommended me to do drugs, but he wouldn’t because I am Asian and he knows how Asians think about drugs. He also said that a lot of Asians that do drugs, especially girls, hide that they do drugs to their peers. I think the race and the environment are two important factors that influence your decision of drug usage.

The article “5 specific reasons why your idea of happiness is wrong” really was interesting to me, because I always think about happiness and how to become happier. It also reminded me of a short video clip I saw only a few days ago which was related to happiness. In the video, a woman talked about a book titled “power vs force” written by David Hawkins. She said that in order to be constantly happy, you need to control your subconscious and bring up your level of consciousness to a higher level.
Firstly, in the article, it says that happiness doesn’t last long. When I was a little kid, I used to read fairy tales, and believe my life would just be like that: “live happily ever after.” However, as I grew up, there were so many things and responsibilities that I had to do, which I did not enjoy. In a book titled “Happier” by a professor at Harvard University, it states that a lot of people suffer their present with hope that they can live happier in the future. For example, some students give up their time studying hard in a hope that they will go to a better school, and get a better job. What happens when they get a good job? They will work hard giving up their time with friends, and families, hoping that when they earn a lot of money, they will have time to spend with their family and friends and enjoy living a happier life. As it is said in the book and in the article, I think happiness is not a certain point that cannot be achieved. You think that you’ll be happy when you achieve a goal, but when you achieve one goal, another comes up. The desire of humans never ends; people don’t get easily satisfied. Also when the goals are not achieved, people get stressed out. So I think that in order to have happiness that lasts long, I think you just need to think positively, and enjoy the present and the journey toward the goals instead of thinking that you are suffering for a better future.
Secondly, it states that money can sort of buy you happiness. I agree with this statement because I think that money is not everything for happiness, but I think that money do can make your life a little happier. Even though money is not money is not a sufficient condition for happiness, it is still a necessary condition. I think if you have no money at all, even though you strive to set you mind in a positive way, and to be happy, it will be very difficult. I think the basic needs such as living, food, and clothes need to be provided. I also think that the better the quality of those stuffs, you are more satisfied with your life.

If my child was gay I would be so sad and depressed. I would really feel sorry for him that he has to go through so many hardships during life. However, he is still my son and I cannot make a difference in who he is. If there is a way to make him straight, I would do it, not because I have stereotypes against gays, but because I know that he will go through a lot of hardships. But there is nothing I can do with it. So I would just love him the way he is. I would love him no matter what. I think family should be the ones to support him and be on his side always. There will be so many people against him throughout his life. If family doesn’t be on his side as well, he will be so depressed. I would try my best to give him courage and to be proud of who he is. I really want him to be proud of himself and not become discouraged. I do not want him to be daunted just because he is gay. Even though the world has changed a lot now and the society is becoming more open and more accepting gays, but still I know that he would go through a lot of hardships. He might be teased or bullied when he is a kid, and people will look at him through colored glasses. I would be so sad about that, but I would let him know that he is still a precious and beloved person.
Also I would try to raise him in an environment where gays are more common and more acceptable so that he can suffer less from discrimination. I would try my best so that he could live a happy life and have the same opportunities as a normal straight person does, such a getting married with the person he loves. For example, I would definitely not raise the kid in my home country because being gay is definitely not a common thing at all in my home country. I know a lot of countries such as Sweden, Canada, Spain, Portugal and some of the states in the U.S. I think now made legal to have same-sex marriages. I would try to raise him in one of those places because I want him to still get married and raise kids even though it is through adoption. I really want my child to live a happy life, pursue his dreams. I will try to give him the best of everything, and help him as much as I can so that his gayness doesn’t get in the way.

Why do girls have to wear short skirts and high heels and sacrifice their comfort when going out, while guys wear comfortable clothes and do not worry about looking good? First of all, I think it is about the differences in the clothes of men and women. There aren’t clothes for men that make them uncomfortable. Well there are suits but they can’t wear suits to a party. I am not a man so I don’t know what they are thinking, but I actually think that men do worry about looking good also. I think men wear jeans and button down shirt to look good, instead of wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants. They do their hair also. They do care about looking good, but it is just that they don’t have many things to put on them to look better compared to women, such as make up or heels etc. If you turn it the other way around, it is a good thing for girls. Girls can look prettier by putting make up on and dressing up, but guys don’t have things to make them look better. They just have to look the way they are.
Secondly, I think the nature of the relationship between men and women underlies in it. As Sam said in the lecture, the relationship is male centered. Everything is driven and ended by men. So girls try to look wear sexy clothes to attract guys and appeal to them. I think wearing short dresses and heels is a girls’ way of appealing and expressing themselves. It is true that you dress better you get more attention. When you dress up in pretty clothes and heels and walk by, you can feel the people’s eyes on you. I know a lot of people enjoy that getting attention from other people.
I disagree with the word “sacrifice.” It is totally women’s choice that they dress up. They don’t “have” to dress up. A lot of women dress up just for themselves, for self satisfaction; not to look good to others. For example, heels are very uncomfortable, but for me, I am not that tall so when I wear high heels I like it because I feel tall and more confident. I don’t wear it for others. Girls try to wear what is pretty on them. If girls think other clothes than short, tight skirts look better on them, they wear it. Not every girl wears the same; they try to find what fits best to their body shape and look good on them. For example, my friend always wears loose tops because she thinks her arms are fat. and a friend who is as tall as most guys doesn’t wear heels. Overall, I think it’s just an instinct for girls to want to look pretty whether it is for others or for themselves.

Why do people believe in religion? I think people believe in religion for many different reasons. A lot of people are just born into their religion. For example, I myself was born in to a Christian family so I really did not have a chance to choose my religion. I went to church without questioning, even before I formed my opinions about religion. I think that is how it is for a lot of people. However I think that even if you are born in a certain religion, you might not have the chance to know about a different religion, but you still have a choice to believe in or not. I think people believe in religion to find inner peace. The future is unknown and most people worry and fear about their future. By having faith in god, you can have faith in yourself, your future and can relieve the worries. You can feel much more comfortable and can find inner peace by believing in a religion. For example, whenever there is a problem or something that they cannot handle by themselves, Christians pray to God. Whether or not the prayers are going to be answered, by doing that they can have faith that everything will work out well. There is nothing to lose. Also, when it doesn’t work out well, they can comfort themselves by saying that “God didn’t give me this because He is preparing something better for me.” Also I have a friend who is a Buddhist. When she was taking the college entrance exam a couple years ago, she was so worried and stressed out. So she and her mother went to the Buddhist temple every day and prayed. She said it made her feel much better. Human beings are weak compared to the huge unexplainable universe, so I think they try to find comfort and inner peace by relying on religion.
Moreover, religion can give a guideline and purpose to your life. Most religions provide set of guideline or rules on how one should live. Christians have the Bible, and Islam have Koran and Buddhists also have their scriptures and etc. I don’t think any religion require doing bad things. If you follow it, you become a good person. So when people are lost, they can take that as a guideline on how to live. Also, sometimes people might feel that their life is meaningless because eventually everybody will die. However if you believe in a religion it gives you a purpose and meaning in life. For example, Christians believe that if you believe in God, and try to live up to his commandments, they can go to heaven. So eventually I think religions make people feel better about their lives by giving faith through god.